What is the most effective way to lose weight?

The most effective way to lose weight is to keep portion sizes reasonable, eat well (avoid the 5 food felons), drink water, stay active by walking and adding cardio and resistance training to your workouts, find a buddy to support and encourage you, and keep stress in check. If you set reasonable goals for yourself in each of these areas, you will be well on your way to the mall for new pants.

The most effective way to lose weight is to ensure that you consume fewer calories from food than the amount of calories your body burns through powering itself and performing physical activity. This can be accomplished by decreasing how much you eat, increasing how much physical activity you do, or a combination of the two. Creating an energy deficit (eating less calories and moving more) requires your body to use stored fat as a fuel source, which if kept up over time, will lead to changes in your body weight.

To lose weight you should combine resistance training with aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise can burn a large amount of calories in a short period of time, but burns very little extra calories after a workout. Resistance training however burns a lot of calories after a workout through a mechanism known as excessive post exercise oxygen consumption also known as EPOC. This means if you do both you’ll burn large amounts of calories over the course of a day if you combine the two.

The most effective way to lose weight is to eat right and to exercise. If you are able to complete these two vital components then you will easily be able to lose weight.

To be a little more specific. When starting a weight loss program, you need to focus on your nutritional habits. To start, take all grains and discard them, pretend you are allergic. Grains will not aid in weight loss. Although, they provide great nutrients, they will not help you to lose weight. Next start eating lean proteins and vegetables. Eating fruits and nuts will also be helpful but be sure to eat 4 ounces or less of nuts on a daily basis.

As for exercise. Be sure to complete both aerobic and anaerobic exercise. You need to not only build your cardiovascular endurance but you need to increase lean muscle mass as well.

Being able to complete all of the above will help lead to weight loss.

The best way to lose excess weight, wherever it is located, is to consume fewer calories than you use. One way to start is to follow exercise and dietary guidelines. In fact, information from the National Weight Control Registry, a database of more than 6,000 people who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept them off for at least a year, reinforces that notion. The registrants report exercising approximately one hour a day (primarily through brisk walking); eating an average of 1,400 calories a day, with about 25% provided by fat; making breakfast a regular habit; and maintaining a consistent eating pattern across weekdays and weekends. They also keep close tabs on their weight, hitting the scales frequently.

In one sentence, the best way (and frankly, only way) to lose weight is to take in fewer calories than you burn each day. Period.

Of course, the devil is in the details. The solution is simple. Executing on that simple solution can be difficult. To properly execute on that simple answer, you need to know how much YOU burn each day and how much YOU eat each day. Every person is different. We have different jobs, like different foods, have different habits. Everything about our day plays into how much we burn and how much we eat. The trick is to use tools that give you insight into what feels "invisible."

My clients all use the dotFIT platform. It will help you estimate how much you burn (if you answer the set up questions honestly) and track how much you are eating (again, you gotta be honest). Keep the input below the output and voila! You lose weight.

THAT is the best way to lose weight. Know it, track it, and manage it.

The best way to lose weight is to be sure that you are burning more calories than you ingest. You will gain weight if you consume too many calories and you don't engage in regular physical activity.

In order to know how many calories you should consume on a daily basis, it is important to know what your basal metabolic rate is. This is also known as your BMR. Your BMR is basically the amount of calories your body expends in order to stay alive. However, on top of that we need to eat in order to stay alive. Making healthy food choices like eating more fruits and vegetables, eating more whole grain foods, reducing the amount of bad fats that are in your diet and know their nutritional value in addition to engaging in regular physical activity of moderate intensity on most days of the week is a good approach to losing weight.

There really is no magic formula for losing weight. It comes down to consistently burning more calories than you consume. A change in mindset also can lead to effective and lasting weight loss. With a new perspective comes behavioral changes like taking daily walks, skipping that midday snack or increasing workout frequency and intensity. It also helps to have the support of loved ones who want you to succeed so try to build a positive team around you.

Awareness is another component to consider. Tracking your eating with daily food logs can help you avoid self-sabotage and lead to healthier choices. Planning your meals also makes it easier to reach your goals without crazy fad diets.

Ultimately, moderation and consistency are key. Count your calories, exercise regularly and you'll lose weight the right way for a lifetime.

Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.

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Everyone has opinions on how to lose weight – everything from Pilates to supplements to sleeping sans pajamas has been touted as an effective weight loss strategy. It's all about discovering what works for you. For some people, the community support found on social media or in support groups for weight loss is an effective tool, while others benefit from the tried and true method of working up a daily sweat. Whatever strategy you choose, the key is finding something that you can stick with that works for your lifestyle.